General Sports 3d Briefing
×Last updated: March 12, 2026, 9:59 PM ET
Rugby Union
Ireland head coach Andy Farrell made four changes bbc.com for Saturday's Triple Crown decider against Scotland in Dublin, with lock James Ryan ruled out. Scotland, seeking their first win over Ireland in 12 meetings, must master specific areas bbc.com to secure a rare victory, writes Tom English. Meanwhile, Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend bbc.com faces his most significant selection dilemma ahead of the Dublin trip. Ireland flanker Josh van der Flier stated his side needs a big performance bbc.com to beat Scotland, noting past wins came when they played particularly well. In Wales, record-breaking flanker Alex Mann bbc.com starts in the Six Nations finale against Italy in Cardiff, with coach Steve Tandy naming an unchanged starting side bbc.com. Wales number eight Aaron Wainwright is set to face Italy bbc.com despite an early exit against Ireland, and Louis Rees-Zammit is confident Wales will be exciting again bbc.com after slow starts. England, under pressure, saw head coach Steve Borthwick admit the shirt has weighed heavy bbc.com on some players during a disappointing campaign. Fin Smith brushed off an on-pitch row with captain Maro Itoje, saying it shows the depth of their relationship bbc.com.
Horse Racing & Cheltenham Festival
The Cheltenham Festival concluded with Harry Redknapp's Jukebox Man confirmed for the Gold Cup, where Ben Jones hopes to secure glory bbc.com. The horse joins a field of. Earlier, Heart Wood triumphed bbc.com in the Ryanair Chase on day three for trainer Henry de Bromhead. Il Etait Temps powered to victory in the Queen Mother Champion Chase, earning Willie Mullins his third win bbc.com of day two. The "Queen of Cheltenham," Lossiemouth, delivered a dominant victory bbc.com in the Champion Hurdle on day one. Trainer Willie Mullins threatened not to bring horses to future Festivals over ground concerns bbc.com after Fact To File was withdrawn. Jockeys Nico de Boinville and Declar Queally shook hands bbc.com after a "racial slurs" accusation was leveled at De Boinville. Meanwhile, thousands of Brits have travelled to Spain's Costa Blanca to enjoy the Festival from afar, in a phenomenon dubbed Costa del Cheltenham bbc.com.
Cricket & The Hundred Auctions
The Hundred auctions dominated cricket news, with Sussex all-rounder James Coles signed by London Spirit for an auction-high £390,000 bbc.com. The first professional sporting auction streamed in the UK saw 89 players picked, an emotionally draining bbc.com process described as treating players as price tags. Coaches of Hundred teams with IPL investment denied being told bbc.com to avoid Pakistan players. The signing of Abrar Ahmed by Sunrisers Leeds allayed concerns bbc.com that Pakistan players would be ignored. Alex Hartley discussed the historic auctions bbc.co.uk with Steven Finn and Stephan Shemilt.
NCAA Basketball Tournament & Coaching Moves
The conference tournaments produced seismic shifts. Texas Tech guard Christian Anderson strained a muscle espn.com slipping on the new glass floor at the Big 12 tournament during Iowa State's 75-53 win. In the same tournament, Bobby Hurley's Arizona State tenure ended with a historic blowout loss espn.com—a 91-42 defeat to Iowa State, the largest win in Big 12 tournament history. Hours later, Syracuse fired Adrian Autry espn.com after three NCAA tournament-less seasons. Jim Boeheim defended Autry, stating his dismissal resulted from poor player performance espn.com and lack of NIL funding. The Big Ten asked the NCAA espn.com to pause tampering inquiries and modernize its rules. In the women's game, No. 20 Miami (Ohio) suffered a shocking 87-83 loss espn.com to UMass in the MAC tournament, its first defeat. Duke starting guard Caleb Foster is out indefinitely espn.com with a fractured foot. Utah Valley settled a WAC dispute over a $1 million exit fee espn.com, clearing its path to the league tournament.
Tennis & Individual Achievements
Alexander Zverev said it felt very special bbc.com to become just the fifth player to reach the semi-finals of all nine ATP Masters 1000 tournaments. Armand Duplantis broke his own pole vault world record bbc.com for the 15th time, clearing 6.31 metres. In women's tennis, Britain's Sonay Kartal retired from her Indian Wells fourth-round match against Elena Rybakina with a back injury, calling it one match too many bbc.com.
Darts & Boxing
Jonny Clayton overcame gout bbc.com to crush Luke Humphries 6-1 in the night six final of the Premier League Darts in Nottingham. In boxing, James 'Jazza' Dickens endured a two-day ordeal bbc.com from Dubai to Dublin for his world title bout against Anthony Cacace on Saturday. Ryan Garner has his eye on the winner of that clash bbc.com for a future super featherweight title fight. Ronda Rousey aims to rewrite her ending bbc.com in her first MMA bout in ten years against Gina Carano on May 16.
Figure Skating & Winter Sports
Olympic figure skating champion Alysa Liu received a key to her hometown espn.com during a rally with Bay Area artists. At the Winter Paralympics, Great Britain's Hester Poole vowed a redemption arc bbc.com after crashing out of the giant slalom on her debut. Jake Adicoff became the first out gay man bbc.com to win an individual Winter Paralympic gold medal in cross-country skiing. German skiers turned their backs bbc.com on Russian podium finishers in protest. The Austrian skiing siblings Veronika and Johannes Aigner, the Paralympic 'Von Trapp' family bbc.com, are dominating. Great Britain's wheelchair curlers suffered a fourth straight loss bbc.com at the Games. Tom Dean, with the 2028 Olympics in his sights, has relocated to Stirling bbc.com. Kirsty Muir believes her Olympic near-misses can be a big motivation bbc.com.
Golf & Motorsport
Scottie Scheffler is the overwhelming betting favorite espn.com to win The Players Championship, with odds reflecting a potential third title. Brooks Koepka, making just his fourth start back on the PGA Tour, seeks more consistency espn.com at Sawgrass. Matt Fitzpatrick said winning The Players would be up there bbc.com with a major, though "not the same." In F1, Lewis Hamilton missed the Oscars despite F1-related nominations espn.com after the Chinese Grand Prix. The post-race fallout from Australia's season opener was addressed in an F1 Q&A bbc.com.
NFL & NASCAR
Tension builds ahead of the NFLPA's leadership vote to replace disgraced former leader Lloyd Howell. The Baltimore Ravens' pivot from Maxx Crosby to Trey Hendrickson was analyzed, showing how they still landed a four-time Pro Bowler espn.com. In NASCAR, a piece explored the complicated nature of empathy in a selfish, results-based business espn.com.
Other Sports & News
Sweden's Armand Duplantis broke his own pole vault record bbc.com for the 15th time. At the Cheltenham Festival, jockeys Nico de Boinville and Declan Queally shook hands bbc.com after a racial slurs accusation. The first out gay man to win an individual Winter Paralympics gold was cross-country skier Jake Adicoff bbc.com. In college basketball,